The present invention generally relates to a cable management system for interconnecting electronics or fiber optic cables and more specifically to a cable management system for connecting an equipment system to multiple patch panels.
Numerous cable management systems exist today and are used in various electronics equipment applications, such as telecommunications, data transmission, networking, video and the like. Typically, to install a cable management system, a frame is securely mounted to the floor within the room in which the system is to be maintained. Multiple patch panels or boxes are then secured to the frame in a stacked arrangement. Each patch panel includes multiple connector ports (e.g. RJ45 connector ports) along the front face thereof. Each connector port is adapted to receive a plug on a mating cable that conveys a single data stream, such as for an individual user and the like, or multiple data streams.
Additionally, each patch panel includes connector modules electrically coupled to the connector ports and configured to receive a mating cable from an equipment panels by a trunk cable. At the switching network, the trunk cables are connected to switch blades located within a switching network housing. In known cable management systems, the trunk cables extend to either side of the switching network housing and are then brought up either side of the frame before being connected to the corresponding patch panels. In doing so, the trunk cables do not interfere with the front face of the patch panels where the mating cables interface with the connector ports of the patch panels, but the trunk cables do increase the overall footprint of the system. Additionally, as the number of cables increases, heretofore, wire managers have been widened laterally relative to the patch panels or constructed deeper (i.e. in the direction transverse to the front face of the patch panels) thereby increasing the overall footprint of the system.
One problem associated with these known systems is that cable management systems are reaching the size limits afforded by certain standards and/or by physical constraints of rooms and environments in which they are mounted. Specifically, as the capacity of the cable management system increases, the number of individual cables similarly increases, and the cable mass is becoming prohibitive.
In at least some other known cable management systems, the trunk cables extend over the top of the frame prior to being connected to the corresponding patch panel. A problem associated with these known systems is that the routing of the trunk cables around the sides, and over the top of the frame leads to a larger cable mass. A larger cable mass causes additional heat and limits the amount of open space for the movement of air, thus decreasing the efficiency of the cable management system. Yet another problem associated with these known systems is that the trunk cables tend to interfere with the fans provided to cool the switching network. As such, the switching network may be subject to overheating.
A need remains for an improved cable management system having a more space efficient geometry.